The Agoraphobic CowboyArtist: Rick MoranisGenre: Country / Western Publisher: Wepi/Artistshare Released: 2006 |
A Review by Kim Lumpkin
03/12/2006
No right to sing them southern blues.
I'm from Toronto, snowy city,
From a neighbourhood of Jews.
So sings Rick Moranis on “Mean Old Man” off of his new country album. Rick Moranis, you say? A country album? Yes, indeed. As many artists have discovered, it can be quite liberating to do something that is totally different from what one is known for. And like fellow Canadian comedian Bruce McCulloch, he proves he really can carry a tune, with a deep, mellow voice more Tom Monroe than Seymore Krelborn, managing to convey just the right amount of humor and sincerity in each track. Along the way, he is assisted by some very able musicians, beginning with Tony Scherr, who provides solid guitar playing and backing vocals, Dan Reiser on drums, Jason Mercer on the fiddle, and Daniel Marcus on drums. Together they create a range of musical moods and an authentic honky-tonk sound.
Moranis is a self-professed fan of Ray Stevens, so it's no surprise that the songs are full of clever wordplay, which is immediately evident in the catchiest tune on the album, “Nine More Gallons”. In the spirit of songs like Benny Bell's “Shaving Cream”, the song employs the old musical gag of ending lines with lyrics other than the one that would rhyme, playing against the listener's expectations (“Working weekends/to pay the bills/I wish I lived somewhere like/with Beverly Sills”). This is followed by what is perhaps the most touching tune, “It's the Champagne Talkin'", in which the speaker at first denies his feelings by blaming them on alcohol, then finally gives in to his better instincts by accepting them.
Many of the songs reflect Moranis's keen interest in the media, modern technology, and their powerful influence on our lives. “Give Me the News” uses the bells and whistles of a newscast as a poor substitute for real communication in a relationship, and “Press Pound” takes the tradition of stalker tunes into the digital/mobile age:
I have an unlimited plan
I forward my calls everywhere
I check my voice-mail from the car
Or at the payphone in the bar
I'm wearing a beeper all the time
I carry a portable fax
Instant message me on the train
I get my emails from the plane
The closest thing to a flat-out parody on the album is “I Ain't Goin' Nowhere”, a direct take on the oft-covered “I've Been Everywhere”, adapted for those intimidated or just plain exhausted by the intensity of life today:
I never go nowhere, man
I never go nowhere
Traffic's bad out there, man
I'm savin' wear and tear
I like conditioned air, man
I never go nowhere
Many of the songs are just as self-depreciating but ultimately positive, like “Wheaties Box” and “Three Day's Rest”, which poke gentle humor at both the shortcomings and the small victories of middle age, while “Oh So Bucco”, “Five Star Motels”, and “Mean Old Man”, with their upbeat tempos and fast-paced wordplay, are just good fun.
Both silly and cynical, “Four More Beers” doesn't so much make a political statement as it addresses a general sense of apathy and the feeling of futility most people have when it comes to trying to make a difference in today's political climate. “SOS” is basically a check list of acronyms, mostly created by or related to the media (with the title implying that we're drowning in it all), and “Bonus Track” closes out the album with more wordplay set to jaunty music.
Those with an avowed aversion to country music in any form won't likely be converted. It's telling that while many of those who know Rick Moranis as a comic actor and satirist don't quite get what he's doing, many country fans do. With a variety of topics and clever rhymes, the Agoraphobic Cowboy is in many ways a throwback to the days when country music had a real sense of humor and humility, but with a modern twist. And when so many country artists are trying to be edgy and overtly political, or cocky with a “bad attitude”, that is quite a welcome surprise.
© Copyright ToxicUniverse.com 03/12/2006
